Rubber heel



oa. y27, 1925?. 1,558,850

w. G. EATON RUBBER HEEL FiledvAug. 23, 1922 au@ w Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

' characters on which is particularly adapted for use PATENT OFFICE.

. UNITED ,STA-TIES,

' WrLmAM G. EATON,

RUBBER HEEL.

ApplicationY led August 23, 1922.

To all luli/wm t may concer/a: f

Be it knownthat I, WILLrAM G. EATON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hull, Vin the county ofA Plymouth and' State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inV Rubber Heels, of which the following description, "n connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification', like the drawings representing like parts. Y Y

This invention relates to a rubber heel.

The object of the invention is to provide a rubber heel of novel and improved construction which is attractive in appearance ap) V shoe manufacturers for attachment by Yautd matic n'ailingmachines -to the heels of new shoes. Y

YTo these ends the inventionconsists -in the rubber heel hereinafter' described v'and claimed. Y I

In thedrawing illustrating thepreferi'ed form of the invention, Figure1'is a plan of the improved heel; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1'; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the shoe heel to which the improved rubber heel has been attached.

The general practice in the manufacture of rubber heels at the present time contemplates the employment of a series of small fiat washers embedded within the body portion of the heels at points substantially midway between the attaching and tread faces thereof and which are adapted to engage the heads of nails driven through preformed holes in the rubber to secure the rubber heels to the shoe heels.

At the present time, rubber heels are being adopted by shoe manufacturers for at? tachment upon new shoes and the conditions arising from the use of automatic nailing machines present additional difficulties in the practical attachment or nailing of the different types of rubber heels upon the shoes. AmongA these difficulties the position and angle relative to the hole in the rubber heel, and also the washer embedded within the same, at whichA the individual nails are presented to the rubber heel by the automatic feed of the nailing machine, have been the most troublesome. When nails are thus presented at divergent angles, the points of the nails enter the rubber at places other than the preformed hole in the tread surface thereof, so that in many d in the heel.

ingV machines are preformed nail- OF HULL, MASSACHUSETTS.

Serial No. 583,820.

instances the nail, when completely driven into place, misses entirely the embedded washer, resulting in the defectively nailed rubber heel. ften times the nail is driven in such manner as to engage tions of the metal washers and is deiected thereby or, on the other hand, it deflects the washer fromits normal position. In both events, a` defectively nailed heel results. Furthermore,

with the type of washers employed atthe presenttime, itis impossible for a shoe 'manufacturer' to determine whether all of the washers are in place with- In the event that one or more of these washers be missing, there is nothing within the heel for the head of the nails to engage, and as a result, the rubber heel .is defectively nailed to the shoe heel when any 'of theseV washers Yare absent.

In accordance with the presentY invention, a rubber .heel is provided of a construction such as to insure the proper nailing thereofv to a shoev heel even when the automatic nailemployed. f Furthermore, the construction of the fastener engaging devices is such as to enable the manufacturer to determine by inspection of the eX- terior of the heel whether, in fact, the particular fastener engaging inthe heel.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrated embodiment comprises a body portion 10 having an attaching face12 and tread` face 14. Within the body portion 10 a plurality of fastener engaging bedded preferably of relatively soft metal such as aluminum, and comprising flat washers 18 having the usual holes 2O therein through which the shank of the nails may pass and which are also provided with guide member 22, preferably in the form of a tapered cone, arranged to extend to the tread surface of the heel. During the mold! ing of the heel, the fastener engaging devices are placed or slipped over bosses upon the nailing pins in the mold, the tops of the fastener engaging devices resting upon the bottom plate of the mold.

The presence of the metal cones or tapered guides enhances the appearance of the heel, and enables the manufacturer to determine, by inspection of the surface of the heel, whether in fact, all of the fastener engaging devices are present within the heel before the latter is nailed to a shoe heel. Furtherthe solid por'- devices are in place devices 16 are em- 9.0

more, the construction and location of the fastener engaging devices within the body of the shoe heel is such that the resiliency of the entire heel is not destroyed because of the solid cushion of rubber below the same.

When the present heels are used in connection with the automatic nailing machine, it will be apparent that diy/erging nails are guided by the members 22 before they engage the rubber down into a position such that they are caused to pass through the preformed holes in the washers, thus insuring the correct nailing of the heels to the shoes.

In practice it is not absolutely necessary that the conical nail guides 22 taper completely down to the nail washers lo, but if desired the taper may be arranged to terminate at a point as illustrated in Figs. Q and 3 such that the nails passing from contact with the tapering portion are directed so as to pass through the nail holes in the washers and to, at the same time, provide a flat bearing for the head of the nail.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the guide members 22 are preferably formed integrally with the washers 18, and with each construction it will be cbserved that when the rubber heel is nailed to a shoe heel the nailing pressure is caused by the integral guide members to be exerted upon the heel from bearings toward the tread surface of the heel. lThis construction is conducive to the production of an improved and permanent tight joint between the rubber heel and shoe as is fully described and claimed in an application led by me on even date herewith.

While the present heel is designed particularly for use with the automatic nailing machine, it will be apparent that it may be used to advantage by the ordinary shoe repair man who attaches the heels by hand.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A rubber heel comprising a body7 portion having a plurality of conical recesses extending from the tread surface of the heel inwardly toward Ythe at 'aching face thereof, fastener engaging devices embedded in the body portion of the heel below said recesses, and linings cf relatively soft metal for said recesses and extending from substantially the tread surface of the heel toward the fastener engaging devices for directing nails from an automatic nailing machine downwardly to cause their passage through said fastener engaging devices.

2. A rubber heel comprising a body portion provided with a plurality of nail washers embedded therein7 and conical nail guides integral therewith extended and tapering from substantially the tread surface of the heel for directing nails from an automatic nailing machine through the nail washers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM G. EATON. 

